Game shows today follow a format where audience members vote for their favorite contestants and the contestant with the fewest number of votes is eliminated from the competition in succeeding rounds of play until only a single winner remains. The contestant with the most votes ultimately wins and the only reward that the audience members receive is the satisfaction of helping a favorite win the game show.
Although audience members may feel emotionally invested in a contestant and vote to keep that contestant on the game show, the audience members are not rewarded for their participation in the voting process of the game show. Also, the voting process is somewhat straightforward and requires no strategy: the audience member votes for the contestant he or she wants as the winner. If the majority of other audience members vote for the same contestant, that contestant wins.
On other types of game shows, the contestants themselves vote to eliminate a least favorite contestant. This is a departure from the model of voting for a winner. However, on this type of game show, the viewing audience also has no control over the result and no stake in the outcome.
Another common factor in many game shows, particularly those that showcase the talents of the contestants, including but not limited to, singing and dancing, is that the ultimate winner is often unsurprising. Although recognition of talent is subjective, there are generally contestants that are objectively more talented than other contestants. These objectively talented contestants progress through the competition until one is named the winner. The conclusion of a game show is less exciting when the winner is easy to predict. When a contestant dominates a competition, the audience members may lose interest in the results and stop voting, and/or stop watching. If voting costs money, that money is lost. Lower audience membership will affect advertising, which will also affect revenue.
To maximize the viewership of a game show, the need exists for a game show where the winner is a surprise to the audience. Additionally, the need exists for a game show that gives the audience members a greater stake in the results.